Execution trajectory in India

The execution of death sentence in India is formally enabled by two modes namely hanging by neck till death and being shot to death.

The execution of death sentence in India is formally enabled by two modes namely hanging by neck till death and being shot to death. The jail manuals of various states provide for the method of execution of death sentence in India. Once death sentence is awarded and is confirmed after exhausting all the possible available remedies the execution is carried out in accordance with section 354(5) of the Code of Criminal Procedure 1973 i.e. hanging by neck till death. It is also provided under The Air Force Act, 1950, The Army Act 1950 and The Navy Act 1957 that the execution has to be carried out either by hanging by neck till death or by being shot to death. A public profile of all executions in India post independence is not readily available in public domain.

Exhibit 1: List of death sentence executions in India: 1999 to 2011 (one case); 1996-98 (Five cases) and 1995(13 cases): in all (19) cases from 1995 to 2011 (Sixteen years)

Year

Number of executions in India

Ruling Political party/Alliance

2011

No execution

United Progressive Alliance

2010

No execution

2009

No execution

2008

No execution

2007

No execution

2006

No execution

2005

No execution

2004

One Executed in West Bengal

2003

No execution

National Democratic Alliance

2002

No execution

2001

No execution

2000

No execution

1999

No execution

1998

Three male executed in

Haryana.

1997

One male executed in

Andhra Pradesh.

United Front

1996

One male executed in

Kerala.

United Front

1995

13 Executions

One male executed in Assam.

One male executed in

Delhi.

11 male executed in Uttar Pradesh.

Indian National Congress

Note:List of death sentence executions in India is only documented since 1995 by National Crime Records Bureau. The NCRB records the execution profile year wise as part of its prison statistics.

Source: National Crime Records Bureau

Exhibit 2: Information relating to the execution of the death penalty in Tihar Jail, Delhi during 1982-1989

This information on number of people executed in Delhi Tihar Jail was received by the People’s Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR) in response to an application filed under the Delhi Right to Information Act, 2001 to know details of persons who had been executed in Tihar Prisons in Delhi since 1947.

Name

Date of execution

Case details

Ruling party/Alliance in Centre

Satwant Singh S/O Trilok Singh

06.01.1989

Satwant Singh was executed on January 6 ‘1989 for carrying out assassination of Indira Gandhi.

Maqbool Bhatt was co-founder of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front. Maqbool Bhatt was a part of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front militants who ambushed Indian Security Forces on 14 September 1966 and as he was involved in the shootout, he was found guilty and sentenced to death.

After his petition for clemency to President of India Giyani Zail Singh was rejected, and Bhat was executed in the Tihar Jail in New Delhi on February 11, 1984

Indian National Congress (Indira)

Kartar Singh S/O Santa Singh

09.10.1983

-

Indian National Congress (Indira)

Ujagar Singh@ Santa Singh

09.10.1983

-

Indian National Congress (Indira)

Jasbir Singh @ Billa s/o Bakshi Singh

31.01.1982

Jasbir Singh @ Billa was executed to death sentence after found guilty in killing two children named Geeta and Sanjay Chopra and raping one of them in Delhi.

Indian National Congress (Indira)

Kuljeet Singh @ Ranga S/O Harminder Singh

31.01.1982

Kuljeet Singh @ Ranga (partnered Jasbir Singh @ Billa )was also executed to death sentence after found guilty in killing two children named Geeta and Sanjay Chopra and raping one of them in Delhi.

Indian National Congress (Indira)

Exhibit 3: Executions of the death penalty in Tihar Jail, Delhi during 1958-1977